| A | B |
|---|
| active voice | in this verb form, the subject of the sentence performs the action denoted by the verb. Ex: Gretchen SWEEPS the floor. |
| abstract | not attached to anything specific or concrete; the word "abstract" is sometimes applied to difficult or dense works |
| aesthetic | relating to beauty or to a branch of philosophy concerned with art, beauty, and taste |
| allegory | a narrative in which literal meaning corresponds directly with symbolic meaning |
| ambiguity | a word or idea that can be understood in multiple ways, usually obscure or difficult to understand |
| anachronism | misplacement of a person, occurrence, custom, or idea in time |
| anagnorisis | a moment of recognition or discovery; primarily used in reference to Greek tragedy |
| analysis/analytic/analytical | separating something into the components or elements of which it is made; skilled in using analysis, esp. reasoning or thinking |
| anecdote | the brief narration of a single event or incident |
| antecedent | in grammar, a substantive word, phrase, or clause whose denotation is referred to by a pronoun |
| antihero/antiheroine | a protagonist who is not admirable or who challenges our notions of what should be considered admirable |
| apology (apologia) | a formal attempt to justify or defend one's actions while implying regret for them |
| appeal to emotion | in a written work, the attempt to arouse the audience's feelings and sympathies |
| appeal to character | the author's attempt to sway readers by creating a positive impression of his or her own character |
| appeal to reason | the author's attempt to influence readers by means of logic, argument, and evidence |
| appeal through style | a writer's attempt to influence readers by choosing words and expressions that create a certain tone or make what the writer says vivid and memorable |
| archetype | a theme, motif, symbol, or stock character that holds a familiar place in a culture's consciousness |
| argument | the expression of a position or claim supported by reasons; also a discourse intended to persuade or convince |
| argument by definition | form of argument where writer defines a term by placing it in a particular category, thereby claiming what is true for the whole category is true for the particular term |
| assumption | a fact or statement that is taken for granted rather than tested or proved |
| audience | in the context or writing and literature, refers to the reading public or a specific group of intended readers |
| authority | in an argument, a person cited because his or her opinion carries special weight or credibility |
| autobiography | the nonfictional story of a person's life, told by that person |
| aside | brief speech or comment that an actor makes to the audience, supposedly without being heard by the other actors on stage |
| assonance | the repetition of vowel sounds between different consonants, such as in neigh/fade |
| alliteration | the repetition of a consonant sound at the beginning of words |
| antagonist | the character that contends with or opposes another character |
